Swimming Lesson, Interrupted
by andhereweare
Summary: Forget the rowboat. Let's get SOM finished in a hurry with an interrupted swimming lesson that leads to early realizations and HEAs for all. At some point I will figure out how to include story breaks within a chapter, so for now, I apologize.


Looking for his wayward children, Georg escorted Elsa to the back of the house. There he found them, mostly in the lake.

As he stormed toward the lake, he noticed something. It wasn't chaos. Instead, there were two people sitting by the shore, two others focused on learning a backstroke, and four others enjoying themselves.

As he came closer, everyone noticed.

"Captain!"

"Father!"

His governess and Gretl stood up onshore. Four others stood up or tread water as necessary. Marta clung to Friedrich as he tread water.

Georg immediately assessed the situation. He realized that he had interrupted Friedrich teaching Marta how to swim, and now she was clinging to him too tightly to be safe.

"Friedrich, please swim closer to shore. I will come in if you need me."

Friedrich managed to swim to shore with Marta firmly attached to him and when he was able, stood on the lakebed holding his still-trembling sister.

"You are safe now?"

"Yes, Father."

"Good."

"Oh Captain, he was teaching Marta how to swim and she was doing so well with the backstroke she wanted him to take her out to deeper water!" Fraulein Maria exclaimed.

He wasn't stupid. He knew exactly why Marta panicked. It was because of his presence.

"Marta, are you well? he asked.

She nodded.

"Well, let us get everyone out of the lake and dry."

As the children passed him he swept Marta into his arms, damn his suit. As they walked towards the house he let a hand go and set it on Friedrich's shoulder. "Son, I am proud of you."

Friedrich looked at his father, shocked, and then faced forward and walked toward the house, prouder and straighter.

Later, at dinner, Georg asked Marta if she had enjoyed her swimming lesson, because her oldest brother had done a great job of it.

She hesistated, and responded, "I did, Father. But I...I don't like putting my face into the water."

He smiled. "Many people have this problem."

"They do?"

"I did!" Liesl exclaimed.

Marta stared at her.

"It took me some time, but I got over it. You can too," Liesl promised.

"I can?"

"Yes, you can! It takes practice!"

Marta looked at her plate, and asked just loud enough for him to hear, "Father, will you help me? I'm not very brave."

After a long pause, he responded.

"Of course I will, sweetheart. Of course I will. The next time you want to visit the lake, I will be there."

The next day, there was a singing demonstration for the Baroness which was immediately followed by money signs in Uncle Max's eyes.

As Max was proclaiming the virtues of his next vocal group, Marta screwed up enough courage to ask her father to be by her side upon her next venture into the lake.

The following day, as he knelt in lake water no higher than Marta's shoulders Georg taught her how to breathe with only her mouth underwater, followed by her mouth and nose. As rain was coming in, lake time was done for the day.

The day after that they practiced again and soon Marta was proud she could breathe underwater, although her eyes were still above water.

Finally, with the encouragement of all of her siblings and her father who were in the water and Uncle Max and Fraulein Maria on the shore,  
she dunked her head underwater for the first time, keeping her eyes closed.

When she came up for air, she didn't cough, but only rubbed her eyes. Her father hugged her and everyone else cheered.

From the terrace, Elsa looked upon the scene and wondered if she really belonged in Salzburg.

"Georg, we have to talk."

"What is the matter? Is there something wrong?"

"Your children need you desparately, do they not?"

"Well, I..."

"I need someone who needs me desparately. You are not that man, as much as I adore you. Auf Wiedersehn, darling. I will pack my little bags and go back to Vienna, and tell everyone that you have seven water-loving children. I like to look upon lakes, not swim in them."

She kissed his cheek.

"Elsa, I..."

"Georg, it is for the best."

He watched as she walked up the stairs, and two hours later, watched again as Franz drove her to the train station.

Two months later, Austria's aristocracy was scandalized when Georg von Trapp married his governess, although the scandal was tempered when Baroness Schraeder attended both the ceremony and the reception upon the arm of Max Detweiler. It was not long after when the von Trapps, Max, and Elsa all fled Austria and made a new life across the Atlantic.


End file.
